The Yettinahole drinking water project, which has been opposed by the people of Dakshina Kannada district and environmentalists arguing that it would severely affect the biodiversity in the Western Ghats, is now meeting opposition from farmers in Tiptur taluk in Tumakuru district.
Work on this stretch has come to a standstill owing to protests by farmers at Konehalli, which is the border village of Tumakuru and Hassan districts. They are demanding 2 tmcft of water to Tiptur taluk and higher compensation for their land which has been acquired for the project. More than 700 acres of land in the taluk has been acquired for the project. The same region has also seen land acquisition for work on NH 206.
Farmers’ plaints
A check dam is being constructed as part of the project at Gurusiddanakatte in Tiptur taluk to provide water to only Arsikere taluk of Hassan district. Another buffer dam will be constructed at Heralagere in Tiptur taluk to provide water to Chikkanayakanahalli taluk of Tumakuru district. “Both the dams will be constructed on land acquired in Tiptur taluk, but will not provide a single drop of water to Tiptur itself,” argued State secretary of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, B.S. Devaraj. Farmers want all the tanks and lakes in the taluk to be filled to increase the groundwater table.
The canal will pass through five of the 10 taluks in Tumakuru district. Mr. Devaraj told The Hindu that coconut plantations are drying due to continuous drought for more than 12 years in the area and there is scarcity of drinking water as both the Cauvery and Krishna tribunals do not benefit this region.
A farmer of Halepalya, Lakshma Naika, who is losing 2.5 acres of land for the project, says that while the project does not bring water to his village, Akshala katte — the tank which is the only source of drinking water to Halepalya and to four neighbouring villages — is also being acquired for the project.
Sujathamma from Halepalya is losing two acres of land, her only means of livelihood, to the project, and she doesn’t want to let go of it. The crops she grew on it, dried up owing to drought last year. Now she is rearing 25 sheep and two cows to make a living.
A 45-year-old postgraduate of Byranayakanahalli, Manohar Patel, had planned to set up a food processing unit in his 3 acre 31 guntas of land. But his land is now being acquired for the Yettinahole project and NH 206. He claimed that as against the market price of more than ₹1 crore because of proximity to highway, he is getting only ₹10 lakh as compensation. “It will not be enough to even clear my bank loan which is ₹12 lakh and ₹10 lakh each taken from private moneylenders. “I do not know whether they will permit me to have a small teashop on land near the State highway,” he said.
Farmers M.S. Dayanand and M.S. Jagadish of Maragondanhalli of Tiptur taluk, who are losing almost seven acres of land out of 10 acres, are worried how they would feed their Amrit Mahal and Hallikar cattle, which are distinct breeds. The brothers are famous for rearing and selling the rare breeds. “Since we have only three acres left, we are worried,” said Mr. Jagadish.
Ambikamma, a labourer of Bommalapura Gollarahatti, says she will lose three acres of coconut farm, one borewell and her house for the project. “I will become homeless if my house is acquired, and I do not have land to build a new house,” she said.
Tumakuru district land acquisition officer for Yettinahole project, G.D. Shekhar, said if the farmers have any grievance, they can submit them, and it will be brought to the notice of the deputy commissioner.
Deputy Commissioner K. Rakesh Kumar said the market price is calculated based on the sale transactions on record and not as stated by farmers. “Whereever the sale transactions on record have been shown properly, the farmers are getting a good price,” he said.
On the farmer’s demand for 2 tmcft of water, Mr. Rakesh Kumar said that the allocation of water is to be decided at the government level. “I will put the farmer’s demand before the government,” he said.
